Walmart faces backlash over DEI cuts

Thirteen state attorneys general and a group of more than 30 shareholders representing $266bn in funds have urged Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon to rethink the company’s recent decision to roll back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In a public letter, the officials expressed concern over Walmart’s closure of its Center for Racial Equity, the cessation of equity training, the phasing out of supplier diversity programs, and the removal of the terms “diversity” and “DEI” from company documents. The letter highlights the significant implications of these changes on the company’s commitment to equity and inclusion. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, said: “There could be economic pressure from the other side of things which is, quite frankly, the majority of the United States. Women and minorities buy as well, have purchasing power as well.” He added: “On the heels of George Floyd’s murder, Walmart had stepped forth and said that we’re making a commitment to the very thing that they’re now abandoning. So I question how genuine that commitment was.”